Hurricanes hook scrum specialist

PETER MEECHAM/Fairfax NZ

STOKER FOR THE ENGINE ROOM: Mike Cron.

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Scrum guru Mike Cron will give the Hurricanes a much-needed helping hand during the Super Rugby competition in an exclusive arrangement with the franchise.

In a coup for coach Mark Hammett, Cron will spend at least one day a week this season working with the Hurricanes' young front rowers.

Hurricanes chief executive James Te Puni confirmed the agreement was formalised recently after an initial approach to the New Zealand Rugby Union last August.

"It's not something we were going to shout from the rooftops but he's a world-class operator and we're just happy to have him working with us," Te Puni said.

"We have a prop who has come straight out of the under-20 set-up in Jeff Allen; Reg Goodes had his first full ITM Cup last year; everyone knows they are young, but full of potential and we wanted the best in the world working with them."

Cron's innovation and expertise will undoubtedly be a major boost for a side that has lost a wealth of front-row experience following the departure of veterans Neemia Tialata, John Schwalger and Andrew Hore.

The Hurricanes' propping stocks are likely to lean heavily on former Chief Ben May, and up-and-comer Michael Bent this year.

Confirmation of the agreement comes a day after it was revealed Cron, who announced his retirement after the Rugby World Cup, has been wooed back to the All Blacks' set-up, probably in a wider forwards role. However, Te Puni did not anticipate it would have a major effect on his work with the Hurricanes or present any conflict of interest.

"Not in our view and obviously not in the view of the NZRU or they would not have agreed to it.

"Mike has been working across the franchises for a long time.

"Obviously he will step out when his All Blacks commitments take priority but the deal is while the boys are in Wellington he'll be spending that time with us."

In his role as a NZRU resource coach, a job he has done since 2004, Cron has regularly worked with all of New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises but not on a regular, weekly basis.

"It is not a contract, but we have reached an agreement that Mike will spend at least a day a week, sometimes a couple of days, working with our front row and our scrum during the season," Te Puni said.

"We have Mark Hammett who is a former All Black hooker; we have Mike who most would agree is the best in his field in the world and we have Dan [Cron] too, so we have plenty of focus on trying to resource that area."

Dan Cron and Hammett oversaw the Hurricanes' scrum last season, but the former has now moved into a more permanent role as a team analyst.

Mike Cron will start his regular work with the side this week as they prepare for their first pre-season match against the Blues in Whangarei next weekend.

- © Fairfax NZ News